mine was a 2.24 sure grip before i did the 323 swap.
Unsure of how to move forward with 81 EFI Imperial
- Thread starter Jimmy Jippy
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fury fan
Senior Member
Leaps and bounds improvement, waddn't it?
oh yeah ! ive still got a 323 gear set for an 8 1/4 lying around somewhere.......
Northcoast300h
Active Member
It seems like the posting I saw in 2020 for $15,900 was a reseller who bought it at Mecum in 2019 for $11,500. Either way, almost $40,000 lost from original customizer plus all the time to customize it.
So that means if OP invests about $5000 to get this Imperial to run correctly and also look good, then that means the car will be worth about $1000, right guys?.... I'll buy it for that.
Where did you get the gears/posi from. Want to do a change to my 81 Imperial to a 2.94. My car still has EFI, hope it doesn't affect anything with that system.
i had a Mirada parts car that had the 3.23 sure grip and it had the handling package that inc the rear sway bar, so we just swapped the axle over. i have no idea where i got the spare 8 1/4 3.23 ring & pinion from - this was 25yrs ago. prob from a trans shop i used alot.
i bought it before the mirada parts car came along.
i dont see why a gear change will affect the efi.
have you checked to see if your car has sure grip ? 2 of mine did.
Thanks. Yes it has sure grip w 2.2 gears (ugh) I don't see why it would effect it either but who knows with these systems.
fury fan
Senior Member
Be aware, when changing gears in some of those rearends, not all gear ratios fit all the carriers.
IIRC the 2.45 and 2.2 carriers don't accept gears that are higher numerically.
Aside from that, Jeep and Dakota might be sources for used gears?
And when the spider gears in the 8.25" in our 80 diplomat wagon went bad, I actually found parts thru a local heavy-truck repair shop, as the 8.25" was made by Spicer.
IIRC the 2.45 and 2.2 carriers don't accept gears that are higher numerically.
Aside from that, Jeep and Dakota might be sources for used gears?
And when the spider gears in the 8.25" in our 80 diplomat wagon went bad, I actually found parts thru a local heavy-truck repair shop, as the 8.25" was made by Spicer.
SFGT440
New Member
Well everyone here knows it's not a C body but of course there's plenty of folks willing to help out with suggestions and advice because it's an old Mopar, and that's great. Here's my contribution - I won't gain any friends here but I'll be honest about my attitude.
Never cared for the styling of that 'Imperial' (so called). The 'bustle back' was a fad that only lasted a few years because not many people liked it. It was a faux pas from the era of the 'Aeroback' Buicks and Caddy Seville and Lincoln Versailles. All went away quickly because the styling was dumb and odd.
The 'Imperial' (so called) was basically a glorified Dodge Mirada / Chrysler Cordoba, which in turn were glorified Plymouth Volarés / Dodge Aspens. In 1979 or so I had been seriously interested in buying a Dodge Magnum XE - with a 400, T-tops, buckets etc. but by the time I was seriously in the market to buy, the Mirada came out and I thought 'wow' and bought one. Worst. Car. I. Have. EVER. Owned. It was a 'dealer executive' car with only a few thousand miles on it.
The paint dulled like unpainted aluminum and then just came off in flakes, never could be made shiny. Bumper chrome came off. (Factory rep tried to tell me it was because I hadn't waxed the rear bumper.) Door handles broke repeatedly - so often in fact that they were sold on the 'HELP!' rack at the auto parts stores. Body panels were poorly stamped and could not be lined up. Crooked taillights that could not be made straight. Poorly stitched "Corinthian" (paper thin) leather seats. Carpeting was cut too small and so kept pulling free from the door sills. Power window motor leaked and got full of water, the only time I've ever seen such a thing. 318 engine was utterly weak - what, 120 hp? 0 to 60 time took a calendar watch. Differential made a huge clank when shifting into reverse at fast idle.
Dashboard warped. Interior trim around windows etc. cracked up like Turkish Taffy even after Chrysler claimed they found the cause and replaced it all, it all cracked up again - huge visible cracks. Interior plastic and vinyl trim faded to three different colors. Mylar exterior "chrome" trim (clear plastic over silver tape) turned yellow. (Mostly.) Trim would not stay in its little 'channels' in the grille area. Two days after I bought it I found three inches of water splashing around in the bottoms of the trunk wells by the rear fenders, due to obviously multiple leaks. A person should not have to be drilling drain holes in their car right after they buy it to let the water out. They should not have to disassemble the entire rear seat area to silicone caulk around all of the windows to fix leaks.
I owned other Mopars before it (I mourn the day I traded in a beautiful Plymouth Trail Duster for this steaming pile) and others after it. My Mirada was the kind of car that almost put Chrysler out of business. Pure junk.
They might have assembled the Imperial (so called) more carefully but too many of the same problems that my Mirada had would be on the Imperial as well.
In the end I think that generation Imperial (so called) is a disgrace to the name; it's a dated and homely style and the very fact that Chrysler released it with fuel injection that did not work says it all. Imagine buying a new expensive 'luxury' coupe and the dealer has to replace the entire fuel / intake system just to get it to run! Park the Imperial (so called) next to one from 1969 or 1970 and tell yourself the 1980-generation is the same level of car. It's not.
I'd peddle it before I spent a nickel fixing it.
And as I said I won't make any friends here; styling beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However my experience with the Dodge Mirada (much the same car) was the worst I ever had with a car and in my lifetime I've owned literally dozens. In addition to a fairly new pickup truck, I'm driving a 2005 Lexus with almost 190,000 miles and in ten years has had fewer problems than my Mirada had the day I drove it off the lot. In fact, other than having worn out a few batteries, not one thing has gone wrong with it, hasn't even needed an AC recharge. I've owned a bunch of Chrysler products (Le Baron, Diplomat, Trail Duster, Sport Fury GT (2 of them), Dodge Charger, Dodge Coronet, Dodge Omni, regular Sport Fury, Dodge Dakota (2 of them); the Mirada was far and away the worst. I even spent $2500 (!) having the dead paint removed from the steaming pile and having it repainted, trying desperately to like the car. Didn't work. Simply put, the early 1980's were the very very worst cars Chrysler ever made and I wouldn't touch one if it was free.
Here it is, my pile of junk (after a $2500 paint job in 1995 dollars) believe it or not. I wish I'd kept my Trail Duster instead.
I'm including a pic of the Trail Duster and the wonderful Dodge Charger that I owned a few years earlier. Of these three, which of them are worth money today? The Charger in that shape is well into five figures. So is the Trail Duster. The Mirada (and its barn mates) are near worthless. Now you know why I'm so down on the Mirada - after having owned good cars it was worse than just disappointing.
Never cared for the styling of that 'Imperial' (so called). The 'bustle back' was a fad that only lasted a few years because not many people liked it. It was a faux pas from the era of the 'Aeroback' Buicks and Caddy Seville and Lincoln Versailles. All went away quickly because the styling was dumb and odd.
The 'Imperial' (so called) was basically a glorified Dodge Mirada / Chrysler Cordoba, which in turn were glorified Plymouth Volarés / Dodge Aspens. In 1979 or so I had been seriously interested in buying a Dodge Magnum XE - with a 400, T-tops, buckets etc. but by the time I was seriously in the market to buy, the Mirada came out and I thought 'wow' and bought one. Worst. Car. I. Have. EVER. Owned. It was a 'dealer executive' car with only a few thousand miles on it.
The paint dulled like unpainted aluminum and then just came off in flakes, never could be made shiny. Bumper chrome came off. (Factory rep tried to tell me it was because I hadn't waxed the rear bumper.) Door handles broke repeatedly - so often in fact that they were sold on the 'HELP!' rack at the auto parts stores. Body panels were poorly stamped and could not be lined up. Crooked taillights that could not be made straight. Poorly stitched "Corinthian" (paper thin) leather seats. Carpeting was cut too small and so kept pulling free from the door sills. Power window motor leaked and got full of water, the only time I've ever seen such a thing. 318 engine was utterly weak - what, 120 hp? 0 to 60 time took a calendar watch. Differential made a huge clank when shifting into reverse at fast idle.
Dashboard warped. Interior trim around windows etc. cracked up like Turkish Taffy even after Chrysler claimed they found the cause and replaced it all, it all cracked up again - huge visible cracks. Interior plastic and vinyl trim faded to three different colors. Mylar exterior "chrome" trim (clear plastic over silver tape) turned yellow. (Mostly.) Trim would not stay in its little 'channels' in the grille area. Two days after I bought it I found three inches of water splashing around in the bottoms of the trunk wells by the rear fenders, due to obviously multiple leaks. A person should not have to be drilling drain holes in their car right after they buy it to let the water out. They should not have to disassemble the entire rear seat area to silicone caulk around all of the windows to fix leaks.
I owned other Mopars before it (I mourn the day I traded in a beautiful Plymouth Trail Duster for this steaming pile) and others after it. My Mirada was the kind of car that almost put Chrysler out of business. Pure junk.
They might have assembled the Imperial (so called) more carefully but too many of the same problems that my Mirada had would be on the Imperial as well.
In the end I think that generation Imperial (so called) is a disgrace to the name; it's a dated and homely style and the very fact that Chrysler released it with fuel injection that did not work says it all. Imagine buying a new expensive 'luxury' coupe and the dealer has to replace the entire fuel / intake system just to get it to run! Park the Imperial (so called) next to one from 1969 or 1970 and tell yourself the 1980-generation is the same level of car. It's not.
I'd peddle it before I spent a nickel fixing it.
And as I said I won't make any friends here; styling beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However my experience with the Dodge Mirada (much the same car) was the worst I ever had with a car and in my lifetime I've owned literally dozens. In addition to a fairly new pickup truck, I'm driving a 2005 Lexus with almost 190,000 miles and in ten years has had fewer problems than my Mirada had the day I drove it off the lot. In fact, other than having worn out a few batteries, not one thing has gone wrong with it, hasn't even needed an AC recharge. I've owned a bunch of Chrysler products (Le Baron, Diplomat, Trail Duster, Sport Fury GT (2 of them), Dodge Charger, Dodge Coronet, Dodge Omni, regular Sport Fury, Dodge Dakota (2 of them); the Mirada was far and away the worst. I even spent $2500 (!) having the dead paint removed from the steaming pile and having it repainted, trying desperately to like the car. Didn't work. Simply put, the early 1980's were the very very worst cars Chrysler ever made and I wouldn't touch one if it was free.
Here it is, my pile of junk (after a $2500 paint job in 1995 dollars) believe it or not. I wish I'd kept my Trail Duster instead.
I'm including a pic of the Trail Duster and the wonderful Dodge Charger that I owned a few years earlier. Of these three, which of them are worth money today? The Charger in that shape is well into five figures. So is the Trail Duster. The Mirada (and its barn mates) are near worthless. Now you know why I'm so down on the Mirada - after having owned good cars it was worse than just disappointing.
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commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Truthfully, I would not argue with anything you said. It was a horrible and embarrassing era for Chrysler.
you are right, so many similar issues - warped dash, etc and the styling is subjective.
( i like them but wouldnt have another)
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1980-83 Miradas and Cordobas had the worst exterior filler panels ever. They just rotted away leaving huge gaps at both ends of the cars.
My father bought one. I bought some fillers from Chrysler and put them in my attic. I live in Tempe, AZ so it gets hot in the attic. Years later I sold one
and I went to retrieve it. When I picked it up it crumbled into maybe 20 pieces. WTF??? Never exposed to sunlight so no UV.
Absolutely crap materials including chrome plated aluminum on some bumper parts during those years. Interior chromed plastic that disintegrated in 3 seconds.
But the EFI debacle was a classic winner of lousy engineering: the all time numero uno Hungarian Cluster FXXK
Nevertheless I did like the Imperial look and bought lots of parts for them when available from the dealership and beat up lots of them in wrecking yards.
BTW those FS medallions on the fenders of the Imperial were $4.00 when I ordered them. Should have bought more.....
My father bought one. I bought some fillers from Chrysler and put them in my attic. I live in Tempe, AZ so it gets hot in the attic. Years later I sold one
and I went to retrieve it. When I picked it up it crumbled into maybe 20 pieces. WTF??? Never exposed to sunlight so no UV.
Absolutely crap materials including chrome plated aluminum on some bumper parts during those years. Interior chromed plastic that disintegrated in 3 seconds.
But the EFI debacle was a classic winner of lousy engineering: the all time numero uno Hungarian Cluster FXXK
Nevertheless I did like the Imperial look and bought lots of parts for them when available from the dealership and beat up lots of them in wrecking yards.
BTW those FS medallions on the fenders of the Imperial were $4.00 when I ordered them. Should have bought more.....
barnfind
Old Man with a Hat
Meanwhile somewhere in Montana
70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
Could use a driver's taillight lense and a rear bumper. Only after I get mine running.
See above....
You realize, I'm sure that they went out of business before the J body and 81 up imperial, and there is a reason for that. They were hobbling along with a government crutch until the mini vans came along. But you already knew that. Good rant, I can appreciate that.
fury fan
Senior Member
Those colors match any modern-day parking lot.
White, gray, silver, black, with an ocassional dark blue that is barely noticable.
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Those 1980-83 Cordobas, Imperials and Miradas were classic junk. When they started showing up in the wrecking yards I was trying to snag interior stuff off them.
Nearly impossible as it was cracked, chrome plating peeling off, warped, etc. due to the intense sun here in the Phoenix metro area. Some exterior aluminum trim on the Imperials
that were chrome plated all turned to crap in 3 minutes. It was astonishing to see. The absolute worst was looking at all of them in rows with all the bumper fillers missing
or in various states of crumbling away.
Nearly impossible as it was cracked, chrome plating peeling off, warped, etc. due to the intense sun here in the Phoenix metro area. Some exterior aluminum trim on the Imperials
that were chrome plated all turned to crap in 3 minutes. It was astonishing to see. The absolute worst was looking at all of them in rows with all the bumper fillers missing
or in various states of crumbling away.
bronze turbine
Active Member
I had a 1980 Mirada and I really liked it. It was reliable and comfortable and handled really well (with some small upgrades). It looked great, too, with aluminum racing wheels. The only thing I really hated about that car was the incredible lack of power. 225 /6 was not enough engine for a car that size.
King Hooter
Well-Known Member
Mechanicals be damned, they're so sinister looking with a rake.
70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
You have to get out of the keep it original. If your going to donate it to a museum and not drive it, sure leave it as a static display. Why f#$& around with some engineers pipe dream EFI. The system is a controlled fuel leak, probably worse than a carburetor. Then throw the uneducated ignition control in the mix you will be lucky to get 13 mpg out of a mellow 318, that is unacceptable especially with the very highway favorable rear gear. Put it back to a carburetor and a distributor that will let it eat.
fury fan
Senior Member
I had an 80 Cordoba with a Mirada nose-cone. I can inform you the 318 was inadequate also.
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